Diary dilemma

Regular readers of this blog will know all too well the fixes I get myself into through bad (or non existent) planning. An example is the first ever diary dilemma way back in 2013, my first season of bowls. To outsiders I'm a very organised person, courtesy of all the checks and balances constructed over the years born of bitter experience. In reality my natural instinct is to amble happily along, leaving a trail of carnage in my wake.

Last year I learned the benefit of keeping a meticulous bowls diary. Meticulous enough to anticipate any date clashes far enough ahead to do something about them. Blocking off free time for club competition fixtures was really successful. Ensured when I knew my opponent for the next round I could easily give them a choice of dates and times.

So with the issue of the 2018 county handbook, this afternoon I was sweating over my diary yet again, carefully blocking off all the fixtures for the six county competitions I've entered. Six doesn't sound many, but they're played in cycles of two weeks. I've got a bye in one, so the first full week in May I've got two fixtures to play, the following week three. If I win in all of them, the third week I've got three more fixtures to play, same again the week after.

Continues right up to the county finals day mid July. Add to that Thursday evenings' men's league and that's four matches a week. No problem, since it matches the four games a week maximum I've got dispensation for from my wife. Only problem is, sometimes the four matches are on consecutive evenings. That will go down like a lead balloon. And of course, there are already some non-bowling diary events I can't change.

It all adds up to a need for careful planning and strategy. The planning bit is identifying where I've got a chance of shifting some fixtures to an earlier date to remove a log jam. The strategy part is, now I know the county dates, booking holidays away at the beginning and end of May when they cause least harm. And then giving my wife advance notice there'll be a 'bit of congestion' while I battle my way through the first rounds of the county compositions, getting easier as I lose a few.

Since four of the first six matches are away from home, my diary might begin to look less packed sooner than I'd like. Any gaps will quickly be filled by club competition fixtures. At least they don't have a 'play by' date against them.

Just to win a county competition would be wonderful! That would mean playing in the national finals at Skegness over a week in August. That is a diary clash to dream of...